The Good Figs

Jeremiah 24: 4-7

” 4 Then the word of the Lord came to me: 5 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians.6 My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. 7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”

Good food is hard to come by sometimes. Just ask the struggling college student or the young married couple with small children. Yes, good food can seem like a fairy tale that only happens in some other place under very distant circumstances. Figs were a regular part of mealtime for the Israelites. They grew wild, and I am sure some were farmed and sold. In the verses above, the Lord compares us to figs. The good figs represent those who follow the Lord, while those who have fallen away are the bad figs.

This word from the Lord came to Jeremiah after part of the Israelites were exiled to Babylon, away from home and in a foreign country under foreign rule. This was not the place everyone purchased tickets for a 70-year spa date in a tropical oasis. God’s people were made to serve a king who did not even recognize the Lord God or care at all what god the Israelites served. In fact, Nebuchadnezzar had to be humbled by God when he stretched out his hand and said, “Look what I have created!” (Daniel 4:30)

In verse 6, the Lord says that His eyes will watch over them for their good and that He will bring them back to Israel. God is watching over His flock. In this case, they were in Babylon, far from home. Are you far from home? Have you been exiled in some way? Has your friend group disbanded? Is your job new? Is your family far away? God is watching over you. Not only that, but He tells us that He has plans to build us up and not tear us down. He will plant us and not uproot us, and best of all, He will give us a heart that yearns to know Him.

This year or this season, things may be foreign and unfamiliar. New traditions, new people, and new places. Mom and Dad are different, and gifts may be very different, but the Lord never changes. He will keep us and guide us. Your challenge today is to tell the Lord that you will seek Him in every circumstance, good or bad, foreign or familiar, close or far. Also, you will keep following the Lord in this new place, no matter how foreign it might be. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that the Lord has abandoned you on some deserted island of life. Jeremiah 24:6 reminds us that even in the middle of the worst situations, He has never left you. In fact, He is watching over you and has plans for you that you cannot see.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us: “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”

Make sure you are seeking the Lord, and He will show you which path to take today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life.

Prayer: Father, we often reduce ourselves to lost, broken individuals who see no path forward. In our struggle to see ahead, we forget that You are with us. I pray that we look for You in all circumstances of life, knowing that You are watching over us and have big plans for us to prosper and be in good health, to plant us and not to uproot us. I pray that we focus on You so that we do not get discouraged by what we see around us but rather be of good cheer because we know You hold our future. In Jesus’ name, amen.